Scaling Mountains to Solve An Overlooked Issue

#climbforSHE team member Eva Johnston on Mt. Kilimanjaro with a pack of go! pads.

Our #climbforSHE team is back from scaling Mt. Kilimanjaro and raised $51,615 dollars! Read about her life-changing experience:

Eva, one of our esteemed SHE climbers recounts her experience climbing Mount Kilimanjaro:

My attempt to sum our trip up…magical to the point of being miraculous! SENE was an incredible expedition company, our SHE climbing team consisted of rock star climbers and every single woman on the trip was and continues to be an inspiration to me! Our circumstances couldn’t have worked out any better. The weather was as close to perfect as one could hope for. Additionally, noting that our ages ranged from 17 to 71, some with zero climbing or camping skills (me and my daughter included), others with zero training we ALL reached the summit safely and with smiles on our faces! I feel so lucky and blessed to have been a part of this group of women.

To Bella—our brilliant, compassionate, motivated climb leader and the other equally inspiring young climbers, Mia, Beatrice and Chloë, you all give me such hope for the future and I want to thank you for being such positive role models for my daughter while we climbed the mountain. To Sara, Joanne, Connie and Gayle—I was truly lucky to be up there breathing the same air as you ladies! I am in awe of your strength, motivation, and passion for SHE, for helping other women across our planet and your commitment to leaving this planet better than we found it.

As anticipated, I am feeling a post-climb, post-adrenaline rush sadness acknowledging that this amazing experience has come to an end. I’m certain I will be dreaming of the pure, cold air I was breathing on Mount Kilimanjaro, the stars that looked like I could reach out and touch, the sound of our awesome guides waking us up to check vitals each morning and the hot cup of coffee I knew was on its way from our always smiling team of SENE porters and the views from my tent every morning. As amazing as pictures are, they simply cannot capture the magic of the moment that is experienced and taken in by the human eye!